Asking for help isn’t something that comes to me naturally as I’ve always been a fiercely independent worker. My previous supervisors always commented on this trait almost immediately whether it was in an academic or business setting, and I often took a lot of pride in the fact that I could do things on my own. I never considered that this trait could potentially hold me back from growth. I guess I feared that asking for help would be a sign that I was incompetent, so I avoided it as much as possible. And I often thought that if I could just figure out how to manage my time better, I could do it all on my own. Case in point: In the 7 years that I’ve grown this blog, I’ve yet to hire a team member to help my husband and me.
However, this past year has helped me realize otherwise, at least in some areas of my life (I still have a long way to go). Working with Ashley on the photography for the next book has allowed me to focus more on my biggest passions – the writing and recipe creation – not to mention finish on time! Our working relationship has really opened my eyes to what I could achieve if I just asked for a bit more help. It has been a total light bulb moment. You know what else I realized? Collaboration is so darn fun. So much more fun than trying to do it on my own!
Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro-Speckled Basmati
Yield
5 bowls
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This easy, flavourful curry is a great one to whip up during the workweek, and leftovers only get better the next day. Light coconut milk makes this curry so luxuriously rich and decadent tasting, while still feeling quite light and energizing. It definitely won’t weigh you down, but I can promise it’ll warm and comfort you on a chilly day. While it’s lovely all on its own (enjoyed like a rich, thick stew), I love it even more spooned over top my cilantro-speckled basmati rice with toasted pepita seeds, sliced green onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. The amount of broth called for yields a very thick consistency; if you’d like it thinner and more “soup-like” feel free to thin it out with a bit more broth (if so, you might need to also increase the spices and seasonings as the extra broth will dilute the flavours). This comforting curry recipe is adapted from Super Fresh: Super Natural, Super Vibrant Vegan Recipes by Jennifer Houston and Ruth Tal which is a cookbook featuring the recipes from Fresh, one of my favourite vegan restaurants here in Toronto.
Ingredients
For the curry:
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) virgin coconut oil or grapeseed oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 3 large or 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and finely diced carrots (about 2-3 large)*
- 2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste**
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can light coconut milk
- 2 cups (500 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if desired to thin the broth
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar (optional)
- 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
For the rice:
- 1 cup dry basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) virgin coconut oil or vegan butter
- 1 3/4 cups (430 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth, or as needed
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, large stems removed and finely chopped***
- Fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice, to taste
Suggested toppings:
- Green onions, thinly sliced
- Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- Toasted pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)
- Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
Directions
- For the curry: Add the oil in a large pot and increase heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Sautée over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Stir in the ginger and carrots, and continue sautéing for another few minutes over medium heat.
- Add the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric. Stir well. Cook for a minute, until fragrant.
- Pick over and rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve. Stir in the entire can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth, and salt. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered with the lid ajar, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils and carrots are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. Stir in a touch more broth if you'd like a slightly thinner consistency. After cooking, stir in all of the spinach until wilted. Stir in the black pepper, cayenne (if using), and sugar (if using). Taste and adjust salt, if desired.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Add the rice into a medium pot along with the oil and broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for 12 to 16 minutes, until the rice is soft and tender. Fluff with a fork and stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Keep the lid on until ready to serve.
- Add a generous scoop of rice on a plate or bowl and top with a couple ladlefuls of curry. Add your desired toppings and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 6 days. The curry can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks, possibly longer. For easy freezer storage, add the cooled curry into a freezer-safe bag, press out the air, and freeze on a flat surface. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or simply leave on the counter until mostly thawed.
Tip:
- * The smaller you dice the carrots, the faster they cook! I opt for thinly sliced carrots here to hasten cook time.
- ** Be sure to use a good-quality curry powder (one you enjoy the taste of) as a poor-tasting one can throw the flavours off. I am quite fond of Simply Organic curry powder.
- *** Not a cilantro fan? Simply leave it out and prepare the rice without it. No biggie!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Photography credit: Ashley McLaughlin Photography
Last but not least, I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a very Happy Thanksgiving! We’ve been blessed with gorgeous, warm weather this weekend, and I hope you are too. Thank YOU for coming back to this blog time and time again, and for making this career so personally rewarding.
This recipe comes at a perfect time as the weather is cooling and I am craving warm comfort foods! Cant wait to make it.
SO glad to hear you will be blogging more and sharing more recipes…I pretty much live off your recipes ;) I can relate to the challenge of asking for help completely. Sounds like you are blessed to find a great compliment to your work with Ashley’s drool worthy photos.
I was wondering what to make for dinner tonight when your email arrived. And done! I know what we are eating now. This looks amazing. And my kids LOVE basmati rice. Smells amazing when it’s cooking. Thank you!
I hope you enjoy it Stacy. And I couldn’t agree more about the smell of basmati rice!! so amazing.
Hi Angela,
My friend Emily turned me on to your blog and book over a year ago but it wasn’t until today that I made my first dish by you. The golden red lentil dal! This smells divine. I love anything with coconut. I’ve only sampled it now; I’m saving it for lunch. Yay! I have a good feeling that this is something I’ll be making over and over again.
Best wishes,
Nova
Nova, I’m so happy you tried it! Thank you for the lovely comment :)
I was already planning on making a lentil soup last night, but when I saw this and realized I had all the ingredients, it seemed like fate to just make it into a full meal. I LOVE the flavors of coconut + curry. This was as easy as it gets and definitely a keeper.
ps. congrats on the cookbook and the new photography news. I love Ashley’s work!
Wow this looks so fragrant and delicious!
“You can do anything but not everything.”
That is a quote I tell myself all the time.
I think I’m much like you…. I struggle with letting go so much too but I’m inspired by you to make a few changes here in my life with a blog, a book and a baby too.
You made a great decision to get Ashley on board.
The recipe looks stunning and I can’t wait to try this recipe! :)
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend!!
xoxo ella
I totally am the same way when it comes to asking for help. It always feels so difficult, but there is such relief when you realize you don’t have to do everything on your own.
So excited for your next cookbook, I literally just read your first one in my free time because I think the whole thing is so lovely. (And obviously I make your recipes on a regular basis).
Thanks so much for the work you do,and your honesty while you do it.
So glad you are back! I felt like something in my life was missing without this blog, haha. I’m sure the book will be worth it though!
You have amazing recepies here. thank you.
And here small advertisement from us. We are asking for help.
Go vegan! ♥
gofundme.com/575akwz8
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit for the whole family. My almost 2 year old could not get enough of it…kept repeating “tasty…more!’. Thank you – it’s a keeper!
aw that’s so cute! So happy it was a hit :)
I got your blog post this morning, quickly realized I had all the ingredients and made it tonight for dinner. It was awesome. Thank you for such fabulous, healthy recipes!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Mmmmm, I love daal so much, what a lovely fresh looking recipe thanks! So glad things are going so well with your book, it’s so beautiful :)
I made this last night with brown lentils and it was fantastic! It made our house smell so good. My husband added smoked pork and a sunny-side up egg to his and loved it. Great to see you back!
So glad you loved it! I’m happy brown lentils worked too. :)
Hi Angela,
Just thought I’d let you know how great it is you’re posting again!! I’ve been checking the blog regularly hoping for some new content and was elated to see this curry post!! Also would like to say that Ashley’s photos are stunning.. I’m such a fan of clean, crisp, bright, white photos and hers are stunning!!! I love how she capture the details of each post so well.
Fall 2016 can’t come soon enough! I may have to take a week off just to make all of your new cookbook recipes when it comes out :P
Hi Angela, I’ll definitely add these lentils to my weekly dinner planner, it looks easy to make :) Right now I’m loving all things curried. Thanks for sharing, you’re an amazing recipe developer!
Delicious! As a plant based eater and lover of Indian food this recipe was right up my alley. Although I’ve never put canned coconut milk in my lentils. It gave the lentils a very silky and creamy flavor. I’m not sure I’ll ever make lentils without coconut milk ever again!
Also, I’ve been trying to get my boyfriend to eat healthier as well as adopt a healthier lifestyle, and he also loved this dish! For lunch the next day we used out leftovers to make lavash wraps and added fresh spinach and siracha! Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so happy it was so enjoyed :) Thanks for trying it! I agree about the coconut milk…it’s such a great addition and adds just that pop of sweetness that’s needed to balance the spices.
Wonderful! As always, you swooped in with a perfect Plan B to save dinner when we realized several ingredients for Plan A were missing. This was quick, used stuff we had, and delicious! Thumbs up from the whole family, including toddler and baby.
That’s great! :)
Hi Angela!
First of all, I would like to commend you on all of the wonderful recipes that you have created for both your blog and your first book. I truly enjoy trying them and it has opened up a world of wonderful vegan meals that my meat-loving hubby is more than happy to eat :)
I recently invested in a slow cooker and would love to be able to adapt some of your soup and stew recipes for the slow cooker. Is there any way that you can suggest adaptations to recipes like this one? Or even perhaps a blog post highlighting some of your past recipes that would be perfect for slow cooking?
Any advice you can offer would be fantastic!
Thanks so much. I cannot wait for your second book!
Thank you Aleisha! I don’t use my slow cooker very often but I will keep it in mind for future recipes as I know how convenient they are!
Made this last night and it’s amazing! Thank you so much for all of your delicious recipes!
I just made this for dinner….. Holy!!!! It is delicious, as someone who eats ALOT of lentils this is definitely going to the top of my list for go to recipes. Big big thanks for this one
Aw thanks so much, I’m thrilled you love it as much as I do.